In Podcast #12 the Virginia Trekkers take you to Roanoke, “Star City of the South,” in the Valley and Ridge region of Virginia (when we first filmed this we thought it was in the Blue Ridge Mountain region... we had a HUGE debate about that, which we won’t go into now, but that’s why it’s wrong in the video). Since it was winter when we went, (February 2008) we explore the differences between deciduous and evergreen trees. We also look at ways animals camouflage themselves. You’ll see how Interstate-81 changed over time, from a game trail to the Great Wagon Road to a present-day highway. We also meet with the mayor of Roanoke who tells us how the Scotch-Irish and German settlers arrived in this area and how the railroad played an important part in the growth of this great city.... Come on, let’s go trekkin’!

The Mill Mountain Star over Roanoke is the world’s largest free-standing man-made star! It is 88 feet tall and weighs 10,000 pounds. Two thousand feet of neon tubing use 17,500 watts of electricity to light up. The star can even be different colors. Recently it was all white to honor the victims of the Virginia Tech shooting.

SOL Correlation:

K.2 The student will describe everyday life in the present and in the past and begin to recognize that things change over time.

1.1 The student will interpret information presented in picture time lines to show sequence of events and will distinguish between past and present.

2.3 The student will identify and compare changes in community life over time in terms of buildings, jobs, transportation, and population.

VS.4 The student will demonstrate knowledge of life in the Virginia colony by

b) describing how European (English, Scotch-Irish, German) immigrants, Africans, and American Indians (First Americans) influenced the cultural landscape and changed the relationship between the Virginia colony and England;